West Virginia State Police arrested a man after receiving reports that someone wearing a clown mask was scaring motorists in Kanawha County.

Kevin Wayne Hancock, 45, of Belle was arrested after he was accused of violating the state mask law after an incident Thursday night in the Witcher Creek area in the eastern end of the county, State Police said.

A criminal complaint filed in Kanawha County Magistrate Court said that a trooper was at the Exxon gas station in Belle when he was approached about 9:40 p.m. by a passerby who said a “crackhead” wearing a clown mask was running out into Witcher Creek Road and scaring motorists.

The trooper said when he approached the area, he saw a person running around wearing a clown mask. The officer activated the emergency lights on his cruiser, and the man removed the mask and stopped.

State Police said the trooper identified the man as Hancock, who appeared to be very fidgety. The trooper said Hancock would stand and sit repetitively and had difficulty paying attention to the officer’s commands. He said Hancock’s behavior showed obvious signs of impairment.

When asked why he was wearing the mask, Hancock was too impaired to provide sensible answers but said he was going to try and borrow some money, the complaint said.

The trooper said Hancock was in possession of a small amount of a white crystal-like substance believed to be crystal meth, one small blue pill believed to be Roxycodone and a small amount of a green, leafy substance believed to be marijuana.

Hancock also is charged with public intoxication, possession of methamphetamine, pain pills and marijuana, the criminal complaint said. He was transported to the State Police Quincy detachment for processing and was then booked into the South Central Regional Jail at about 12:25 a.m. Friday.